We do. We all hate your backpack.

We all want you to know that it’s a concert, not camping. Are you headed to a full day of classes right after the show? A sleepover perhaps?

What bonds people just as well as love, perhaps better? Hate. Shared hatred. Trés cozy.

I’m not talking that hate that inspires over-privileged selfish cowards to carry about tiki torches. I’m all for loving everyone first and then picking out individuals to hate based on their selfish behavior. Have you ever been at a show and your hatred of some rude fuck molesting you with his backpack & torturing all that they touch completely bonds all around the offender? You all find peace and bond over the fact that yes, said person is ruining everyone’s experience with their complete disregard of every other human being. Yes. We are at a rock show, but that does not mean we all have to be assholes. If you have a medical need to do so, please do, otherwise it’s completely silly. My mom always taught me manners will always take you further in life.

Who is this person that insists on bringing a backpack to every show?. The largest purse to a tiny venue? Are you that person that insists that piece of luggage the size of a small child needs to be with you in the front row?Are these people on their way to O’ Hare? And of course, they need to be right next to the stage with their small child strapped to them apathetically slamming into all around them. They turn to yell to their friends about that other friend who will be right there. I already know they also have a backpack and they are going to be standing directly on me in 5 minutes. Can’t wait. Cue, full turn around and (again) smashing me with the backpack, waving like a moron about 6 inches from my face to another moron to come stand upon me. Why yes, of course, he’s extra drunk and smelly, why wouldn’t he be? Good thing they can’t feel it all because they’ve brought a backpack large enough to hold a goddamn tent. I plot about the opening of the bag and all the belongings just tumbling…

To the backpackers:

I hate your backpack and now I hate you.

Everybody hates you and your backpack

I will bitch LOUDLY about you to you and roll my eyes with our shared sufferers of your existence.

I plot about opening that bag and all their… seriously wtf is in there? I do hope it’s precious. The bag empties it’s guts all over the floor and we the surrounding afflicted, mosh it all into oblivion. I dream of this moment. I swear it’s gonna happen one day. I’m gonna hit that right day and …yeah

AND SERIOUSLY WTF IS IN THERE?

Hell, this isn’t the 90’s, you have a phone which usually contains EVERYTHING. Keys you are allowed to have keys, wallet, and a phone. Fine, it’s a day-long festival but seriously how much shit do you want to carry around with you, ALL DAY? Do you think that bringing a huge backpack is going to enable you to hide all your illegal fun stuff? Good luck on that. I watched at Riot Fest as one guy shut down one of the lines for about 10 minutes while they insisted on ripping apart the very large, very packed bag and splaying its contents. If you bring a backpack you should make the decision that bringing all your worldly possessions with you should be left back where there’s room for that kind of lameness. Get to the back of the crowd where you belong. The pit is reserved for those who know how to exist without all of our belongings strapped to us.

An ironic but a purposeful choice of quote. Yesterday I choose to be silent on social media as my part on International Women’s Day, a sort of, “Be careful what you wish for”. Every woman should be a feminist and want to celebrate women but it’s the not women voices that make a real difference. Stay with me.

It’s the people who are not women that make it all more possible for equality. If protests have taught me anything, it’s when the people who are not being oppressed see the ludicrousness that real change starts to happen. It’s not about being for one sex over another, it’s simply recognizing we are both people and its fucking stupid not to stand up for the rights of another human being.

She was born from a time when women where suppose to leave the music and the dark clubs to men. Sister Rosetta Tharpe forged herself a place in history as a black woman who could play louder and better when her race and her gender were suppose to say silent and dumb.

Her inability to remain silent speaks to the idea that the light will always surface, unfettered by the muck weighing them down. The roads that seem impossible, will be filled with others who will not remain silent; The longer we choose that path, the more will see that path as viable. Unacceptance of the status quo comes in many forms. Find yours.

As a business owner I have to be aware of what side my business takes, if any. There was a point that I struggled with how much to reveal. Do I keep my brand separate from me as a person? Do I swear as a brand? Because as a person, I swear a whoooole lot. Do I have separate instagram accounts? Where does my brand start and I as a person, end?

I went back and forth on this many times. It all changed after an article on Startup Fashion (tried to find to no avail), I finally chose. The article read if I were to be honest (and I am honestly a person who says fuck) and if I was looking to keep my brand authentic, I would use my own voice. Authentic attracts authentic. I love creating in my house and making things but I always struggle with the marketing aspect. It makes me feel silly, pushy and fake. When I feel things are fake I lose interest as a brand and a consumer. I have no time for inauthenticity.

So onto where I’m really heading. In the last few weeksmonths year our political climate is mirroring our actual climate; Shit is getting pretty scary. I have had to choose a side, not such a hard choice. I had to choose my level of involvement and where I feel comfortable posting my opinions and my involvements.

I’ve had to make some choices. My facebook has 2 sides my brand & me as a person. Pretty easy choice as far as that goes. My personal facebook posts are filled with scathing political rants. My brand remains filled with posts about art, women, and relatively passive posts. I have 1 Twitter and 1 Instagram. My original thought was I didn’t want to deal with 2 separate accounts and don’t post enough on either to support 2 accounts. My Twitter account is mostly brand stuff with my personal mixed in. My Instagram is brand stuff but much more personal. Then as the political climate heated up, much like our changing climate -how poetic. My social media has taken a turn.

As I got more involved, I got more pissed. Partially fueled by my anger at what has become normal, partially decided by it was becoming harder to hide.

Fuck it.

I knew my choices as a consumer were becoming more defined by companies and the stances they took. I cheered when a designer upon getting an order from Ivanka Trump also let her know her purchase would be going right into the Hillary Clinton campaign. I would simply be a hypocrite if I hid myself. So here the fuck I am.

I am a woman business owner who refuses to let my country be sacrificed to a dictator and all his little whims. This election was fucking bloody.

We are all in a mortal battle for all that is right and wrong and it goes far beyond political parties. A madman fed on the anger of a nation and is selling them what they think they wanted, someone to blame.

Nope doesn’t sound at all familiar….

The majority spoke. The majority was ignored. Our country is sick. The people who show up on the street, people who refuse to not sit back and watch the ugliness from their TVs are the fucking heros. We have a lot of true life heroes these days. Good thing because we have a hell of a lot of villains. I am so tired of “my side” as being classified as lazy, whiny and jobless.

I will be on the front lines. I will be loud. I will get into uncomfortable conversations with those I love as well as complete strangers. I don’t fucking care if someone has no interest in buying from my business because I think all people have the same rights and that I care about life, not just while it’s in the womb. If you want to know where I stand, ASK. I will most certainly tell you. I will not be silent, muted or uninvolved.

My business is my child and I refuse to raise a child that has no opinion-

CHOOSE
Make choices. Make decisions. Don’t let your laziness, support your apathy.
Don’t let those choices solely be made by others’ because you feel you mean too little.
And yes, shopping is voting.Vote for the business practices you want to support.
Personally, I could only ever support a candidate that supports local businesses, manufacturing locally and sourcing locally and above all ETHICALLY

It just has everything good in a quote- Inspiration, Dreams, Maya Angelou, the word “lapels” & swearing. Perfection. A great way to commence my quotable posts aka “because Mondays suck” coined by Josie -my favorite intern.